Apparatus for shredding

ABSTRACT

Material is fed onto a rotating disc which has teeth on one of its surfaces and openings through the disc adjacent the teeth. As the disc rotates, it severs discrete strings or shreds from the material. Adjacent the plain surface of the rotating disc is a fixed cutter which cuts the shreds into segments.

United States Patent Tabernacki 1 1 June 10, 1975 I54] APPARATUS FOR SHREDDING 2,013,900 9/1935 Settles 241/2731 2,026,691 1/1936 McArdle et a1"... 241/2732 X lnvenm" Harry Tabernack" Wmder 2,796,094 6/1957 Himmelheber t 241/281 x Luke 3,062,460 11/1962 Bunney 241/92 3,153,511 lO/1964 Atack et a1. 241/281 X [73} Asfilgnec' Kramo cmpom'on' Glenv'ew 3.358.618 12/1967 Vetta 241/92 x [22] Filed: June 8, 1973 3502.125 3/1970 Desnick 241/92 [2] 1 Appl' NO; Primary ExaminerGranville Y. Custer, Jr.

' Attorney, Agent, or Firm-Fitch, Even, Tabin & [52] 1.1.5. Cl. 241/92; 241/152 A; 241/2732; Luedeka [5 I] ll?- Cl. t 1 t [58] Field of Search 241/3, 29, 63, 82.7, 83,

241/92, 101.4, 152 R, 152 A, 273.2, 281; Material 18 fed onto a rotattng dlSC whlch has teeth on 3/39 44. 22 /13 1 22 I94 I95 19 one Of ilS surfaces and openings through the, (SC adja- 239 254 294 cent the teeth. As the disc rotates, it severs discrete strings or shreds from the material. Adjacent the plain [56] References Cited surface of the rotating disc is a fixed cutter which cuts UNITED STATES PATENTS the shreds into segments. 1.341 .1194 6/1921) Freeman 241/92 3 Claims, 12 Drawing Figures PATENTEDJuHm 1915 3,888 428 SHEET PATENTEDJUH 10 ms SHEET SHEET PATENTEDJUN 10 ms *I'I'I'I'g'l'i'l 7 8 8 w Zr! L i l I 8 m8 1 n 2 w APPARATUS FOR SHREDDING The present invention generally relates to shredder or grating apparatus and more particularly relates to severing a product, such as a food product, into elongated discrete particles.

Various means are known and have been used for a number of years in the shredding of material, particularly a food product, such as cheese. These means generally include a holder for a supply of the food product, a pushing device to extrude the food product through selected orifices or openings, and a receiver for the extruded product. Some devices may further employ a cutting means to periodically sever the extruded food product after it has passed through the openings. Generally in such devices, the extrusion plate is fixed and the cutting device is movable. When the pushers have advanced to their limit and thus have exhuasted their supply of food product, they are retracted and a new supply of the product is inserted in the holder. Thus there is an interruption in the production of shreds in such devices while reloading is accomplished. Hence, these devices are not suitable for use where it is desired to have a continuous production of shreds of a food product.

An uninterrupted production of shreds is useful, for example, with the apparatus disclosed in copending application Ser. No. 245,85l, filed Apr. 20, I972, for METHOD AND APPARATUS FOR DISTRIBUTING PARTICULATE MATERIAL, now US. Pat. No. 3,820,503, issued June 28, I974. In this application a method and apparatus are disclosed for coating moving articles, such as pizza pie crusts, with particulate material. Preferably, a particle dispenser is employed to cooperate with the apparatus therein disclosed, and preferably the dispenser is capable of providing particles continuously to avoid interrupting the coating of the pizza pie crusts.

It is an object of the present invention to provide apparatus that will continuously produce discrete particles from material, such as a food product.

It is a further object of the present invention to provide apparatus that will produce shred segments of desired length.

It is yet another object of the present invention to provide apparatus that will produce discrete particles of controlled size in a continuous manner.

These and other objects of the invention are more particularly set forth in the following detailed description and in the accompanying drawings of which:

FIG. 1 is a side elevational view of apparatus incorporating various features of the present invention;

FIG. 2 is an end view in elevation of a portion of the apparatus with portions broken away for clarity of illustration taken substantially along the line 2-2 of FIG. 1;

FIG. 3 is a sectional view of a portion of the apparatus taken substantially along the line 3-3 of FIG. 2;

FIG. 4 is a sectional view with portions broken away of a portion of the apparatus taken substantially along the line 4-4 of FIG. 2;

FIG. 5 is a plan view of a shredder disc used in the apparatus of FIG. I,

FIG. 6 is a fragmentary sectional view with dimensions exaggerated for clarity of illustration of a portion of the shredder disc taken substantially along the line 6-6 of FIG. 5 and illustrating an early stage of a shred being severed from a food product;

FIG. 7 is the fragmentary sectional view illustrating a more advanced condition of the shred severing stage of FIG. 6;

FIG. 8 is the fragmentary sectional view illustrating a still further advanced condition of the shred severing stage of FIG. 7 wherein the cut of a segment is complete and the segment is falling free as the shred continues to be severed from the food product;

FIG. 9 is a top view of a portion of the apparatus taken substantially along the line 99 of FIG. 2;

FIG. 10 is an end view of a portion of the apparatus taken substantially along the line 10-10 of FIG. 9.

FIG. 11 is a fragmentary view of a portion of the apparatus of FIG. 1 illustrating an alternative structure for feeding material into the shredder disc; and

FIG. 12 is a fragmentary view of a portion of the apparatus of FIG. 1 illustrating another alternative struc ture for feeding material into the shredder disc.

Generally, as shown in the drawings for purposes of illustration, the present invention is embodied in an apparatus for shredding and feeding discrete particles from a mass of material, such as a food product. Although throughout this description the food product is described as cheese, it will be understood that the present invention could be employed for shredding other food products and any non-food products having characteristics that permit shredding of the products. Referring first to FIGS. 1 and 2, there is shown a shredder and feeder apparatus generally designated by the reference numeral 13. The apparatus 13 includes a support frame 15, a product holder and feeder assembly 17, a shredder assembly 18, a cutter assembly 19 (FIG. 2), and a particle conveyor 20. The product holder and feeder assembly 17 accommodates a supply of cheese blocks 21 and includes a product holder 23, a product conveyor 25 (FIG. 2), and a feed roll assembly 27.

The product holder and feeder assembly 17 is inclined in two planes so as to direct the movement of the cheese blocks 21 on the conveyor 25 toward the feed roll assembly 27. As described in detail hereinafter, one cheese block 21 at a time is admitted into the feed roll assembly 27, which advances the block into the shredder assembly 18 where a rotating shredder disc 29 causes discrete shreds to be severed from the cheese block 21. Immediately adjacent the surface of the shredder disc 29 opposite the cheese block is the cutter assembly 19 which causes the severed shreds to be cut into segments of predetermined length. The cut segments then fall onto the moving conveyor 20 which carries them away from the shredder and feeder apparatus 13. The cheese blocks 21 are admitted for shredding one at a time from the front end of an alignment of such blocks on the holder 23, and the supply of the blocks is replenished at the rear end of the block alignment. Thus, there is no interruption in the depositing of shreds onto the conveyor 20, and the shreds can be delivered continuously to another work station (not shown) downstream of the conveyor 20. As will be understood hereinafter, the shreds in addition to being delivered without interruption, are of a controlled size.

Referring now in more detail to the illustrated embodiment, the cheese blocks 21 are carried generally by the product holder and feeder assembly 17. As best shown in FIG. 2, a given cheese block 21 is supported underneath by the product conveyor 25 and on one side by the product holder 23. The disposition of the product holder and feeder assembly 17 is such that the product holder 23 is tilted from the vertical and the product conveyor 25 is inclined from the horizontal (FIG. 1). The inclination from the horizontal is greater than the tilt from the vertical so that the cheese blocks 21 readily move downwardly on the inclined conveyor 25 while leaning against the product holder 23.

This product holder 23 includes a side plate 31 on one surface of which are a plurality of parallel, spaced apart bars 33. These bars present less surface to the cheese blocks than the side plate 31 and thus reduce friction therebetween. Although these bars are illustrated as being rectangular in cross-section, it is understood that they may be of any suitable cross-section. For example, these bars could be circular or semicircular in cross-section.

As best shown in FIG. 4, the product conveyor 25 includes a series of spaced apart rollers 35 journalled by suitable means in side rails 37. These conveyor rollers 35 have no separate driving force and are free to roll as the block of cheese proceeds downwardly under force of gravity on the inclined conveyor 25. The rollers 35 are suitably sized and spaced apart to undergird each cheese block 21 as it is supported thereon.

If, as in the illustrated embodiment, the apparatus is employed for supplying particles in a pizza crust coating line, the blocks 21 will be mozzarella cheese, each block having typical dimensions of approximately 21 inches long, 7 inches wide, and 372 inches deep. The mozzarella cheese blocks 21 are placed in the product holder 23 so that their long dimension is substantially vertical and their 3 9% inch depth dimension is across the face of the block in contact with the bars 33 (FIG. 2). As may be seen in FIG. 1, the mozzarella blocks 21 are in line, and the 7 inch wide faces of adjacent blocks abut one another. For purposes of description, the front or lead block 21 refers to the lower most of a tandem group of blocks on the incline of the product con veyor 25, and the rear or tail block refers to the upper most of the tandem group of blocks.

When the product holder 23 is loaded with a supply of mozzarella blocks 21, the lead block moves by gravity until it is aligned with a side pressure plate 39. This side pressure plate 39 has an advanced position and a retracted position. When advanced, the pressure plate 39 applies pressure against the side wall of the lead block 21a which is then caught between the pressure plate 39 and the bars 33. The pressure is suitable for preventing movement of the lead block 21a and those blocks 21 in tandem with it on the product conveyor 25. When the pressure plate 39 is in its retracted position, the pressure is removed from the lead block and the series of blocks in tandem are free to move downwardly on the product conveyor 25.

A stop plate 41 is directly in the path of the tandem group of cheese blocks 21. As is best shown in FIG. 2, the stop plate 41 is intermediate a pair of vertical guides 43. The stop plate 41 also has an advanced position and a retracted position. When in the advanced position, the stop plate 41 contacts the front face of the lead mozzarella block 21a when the lead block is re stricted in movement by the side pressure plate 39. The position of the front face of the lead mozzarella block 21a at this point is approximately flush with the lead roller 35a of the product conveyor 25 (FIG. 4). When the stop plate 41 is in its retracted position, it is sub stantially in the plane of the vertical guides 43 (FIG. 1).

The side pressure plate 39 and the stop plate 41 are advanced and retracted by cylinders 45 and 47 respectively. A piston rod 49 is connected to the side pressure plate 39 and operates within the cylinder 45. A piston rod 51 is connected to the stop plate 41 and operates within the cylinder 47. The piston rods 49, 51 are actuated within their respective cylinders by a suitable system (not shown), such as an hydraulic system or a pneumatic system. Suitable sensing devices (not shown), such as micro switches, sense the presence or the absence ofa mozzarella block 21 in a given position and control the actuation of the cylinders to advance and retract the side pressure plate 39 and the stop plate 41 according to a sequence described in the following paragraphs.

The lead mozzarella block 21a attains the position depicted in FIG. 4 so that its front face 21f is approximately flush with the leading edge of lead roller 35a of the product conveyor 25, and it is initially held in this position by the extended or advanced stop plate 41, which is the initial condition of the stop plate. The front face 21f rests against the stop plate 41. Just as the front face 21fadvances to contact the stop plate 41, the piston rod 49 ofthe cylinder 45 is extended to advance the side pressure plate 39 against the side of the lead block 21a. Thus the block is in the load or ready position.

A manual signal then is supplied, and automatic feeding of the blocks begins. In the automatic operation, first the piston rod 49 is retracted, releasing the pressure from the side of the lead block 21. The cylinder 47 (FIG. 1) is then actuated to retract the piston rod 51 and the stop plate 41. Because of the freedom of the rollers 35 to roll and the inclined attitude of the aligned tandem blocks 21 on the product holder 23, when the side pressure plate 39 is retracted all the blocks 21 advance on the conveyor 25 as the stop plate 41 retracts. The stop plate retracts a distance equal to approximately the depth of one block plus a space sufficient for the lead block 210 to clear the end of the conveyor 25.

During the advance of the blocks 21, the cylinder 45 is actuated to extend the piston rod 49 and the side pressure plate 39 against the side of the block 21 imm ediately succeeding the lead block 210 as the succeeding blocks become aligned with the side pressure plate 39. This applied pressure stops any further movement of the tandem group of blocks 21 and only the single lead block 21a is free, and it continues movement against the face of the stop plate 41 until the plate reaches its fully retracted position. Thus the lead block 21a is spaced apart from the immediately succeeding block 21 clamped in position by the side pressure plate 39.

The direction of movement of this free block then changes ninety degrees to a path leading into the shredder assembly 18, where it is severed into segments of discrete shreds of mozzarella cheese, as is fully described hereinafter. During the shredding of the free block, the remaining blocks are held in a waiting position on the product holder 23.

As the free block is consumed, i.e. severed into shreds, the top of the block moves downwardly into the shredder assembly 18. After the top of the block has cleared the plane of the product conveyor 25, the cylinder 47 is actuated to extend the piston rod 51 and the stop plate 41. As the stop plate 41 advances to contact the face of the cheese block held in position by the side pressure plate 39, the cylinder 45 is actuated to retract the piston rod 49 and the side pressure plate 39. The cycle is thus complete and repeats automatically as each mozzarella block is shredded.

As is best shown in FIG. 2, the cheese blocks 21 stand up on the product holder 23 in a tilt with respect to the vertical and with respect to the general alignment of the feed roll assembly 27 below the product holder. After the lead block 21a has rolled over the lead roller 35a of the product conveyor 25, the block is free to move into feed rolls 53 of the feed roll assembly 27 at a path normal to its path of movement on the product conveyor 25. As viewed in FIG. 2, the lower left hand corner of the lead block 21a encounters and will slide along a deflection plate 55. On the right hand side of the block, an opening 57 in the side plate 31 (FIG. 1) is slightly wider than the width of the cheese block and permits the block to pass there through while being aligned in preparation for entering between the feed rolls 53 (FIG. 4). An upper edge 59 of the opening 57 serves as a pivot point for the side of the block adjacent the side plate 31. Thus, the blocks new direction of movement is established by the deflection plate 55 on its one side and the edge 59 on its other side. The long dimension of the block is then at right angles to the axes of the feed rolls 53.

The assembly of the feed rolls 53 is best shown in FIG. 1. Four such rolls are arranged in opposing pairs to form a rectangular channel 61 extending generally downwardly between the pairs. Each pair of rolls 53 is formed by its members being disposed parallel and adjacent each other, and the pairs are disposed in relation to each other such that planes tangent to the inner surfaces of each roll of each pair form spaced apart and parallel sides of the channel 61 through which the cheese blocks move. The tangents are indicated by a pair of phantom lines designated 62a, 62b. The dimension between 62a, 62b is slightly less than the depth of a block so that the rotating rolls apply pressure to the block between the pairs and cause it to be fed through the channel 61 to the shredder assembly 18.

The rolls 53 are provided on one end with sprockets 63 interconnected as shown in FIG. 1 by a drive chain 65. These sprockets and chain are covered by a suitable protective housing 64. The motive force for the feed roll assembly is a drive assembly generally designated by reference numeral 67. This drive assembly includes an electric motor 69, a coupler 71, a straight gear box 73, an intermediate chain 75, and a right angle gear box 77. The electric motor 69 receives power from a suitable voltage source (not shown) and may be operated by any suitable motor control (not shown) well known in the art. It will be noted from the direction of the arrows in FIG. 1 that the drive chain 65 is connected to each of the sprockets 63 in such a manner as to cause rotation of the rolls in directions that cooperatively act to feed the cheese block 21 generally downwardly through the channel 61 to the shredder assembly 18. A drive chain and sprocket arrangement is preferred for driving the feed rolls to ensure synchronization of the rolls and to eliminate slippage of the rolls. However, other drives may also be suitable for the purpose.

As mentioned previously, once a supply of blocks of cheese is loaded onto the product holder 23 and auto matic operation is initiated, the blocks are fed one at a time, without interruption. into the feed roll assembly 27. One block will immediately follow and be on top of another as they are fed through the feed rolls 53. As a block clears the tangent points of the lower of the rolls 53 there is no longer pressure, and thus feeding force, applied directly to the block. By that time, however, the succeeding block is being fed by all four feed rolls 53 and exerts a continuing force on the preceding block to move the remaining portions of the preceding block through the shredder assembly 18.

The shredder assembly 18 includes the shredder disc 29, driving devices connected to the drive assembly 67 for rotating the shredder disc, and the cutter assembly 19 (FIG. 2). The details of the driving mechanism for the shredder disc 29 are not shown since a driving mechanism well known to one skilled in the art may be used. The drive assembly 67 is common to both the feed roll assembly 27 and the shredder disc 29, and, hence, drives both together.

The relationship between the parts of the shredder assembly 18 is best shown in FIGS. 2 and 3. It will be noted that a base mounting plate 79 is the undergirding structure for most of the apparatus already described. The shredder disc 29 is disposed immediately under the base mounting plate and the cutter assembly 19 is disposed immediately under the shredder disc 29. An opening 81 (FIG. 3) in the base mounting plate 79 allows a cheese block 21 being fed by the feed rolls 53 to pass through the base plate 79 to the shredder assembly 18. The diameter of the shredder disc 29 is substantially equal to the width of the base mounting plate 79.

The shredder disc 29 is shown in detail in FIG. 5. There it will be noted that a plurality of groups of shredder teeth 83 are disposed radially upon one surface of the shredder disc. Each group of shredder teeth include two rows of the teeth 83 abreast of each other with spaces intervening adjacent teeth. Each intervening space is substantially equal to the width of one tooth. The two rows are offset from one another the distance of one tooth so that the teeth of one row are opposite the spaces of the other row. Thus each group presents a continuous front of teeth by comprising rows of teeth offset from each other.

The general shape of each tooth in plan view is best seen in FIG. 5 where the width of each tooth is designated by the reference letter W. In FIG. 6 the form of the tooth 83 is shown in elevation. From one surface of the disc 29 the tooth first is directed outwardly and then curves and is directed parallel to the surface to extend substantially over an opening 85 through the disc 29. The opening 85 has substantially the shape and dimensions of the tooth 83 in plan view. The distal end of each tooth is preferably beveled to present a cutting surface to a cheese block.

Preferably, the groups of teeth 83 are spaced on radii 45 apart from one another on the disc 29. A sufficient number of teeth are included in each group and each group is located on each radius such that an entire surface of a cheese block 21, the position of which is shown in phantom in FIG. 5, is cut by the shredder teeth 83 when the disc 29 rotates. The relationship of the dimensions of the block 21 and the position of the groups of teeth 83 on the disc is such that as one group is completing the cutting of a layer from the cheese block, another group is beginning the cut of a new layer.

The individual teeth moving across one surface of a block of cheese sever discrete shreds from the cheese.

The cross-section of each shred severed from the block is determined by the width W and the height H of each tooth. If these two dimensions equal each other, the cross-section of each shred is square. in the illustrated embodiment, the shred is approximately one-eighth inch square in cross-section. Other dimensions may be selected as desired.

Turning now to FIG. 6, as a shred 87 is being severed from the block of cheese 21, it is directed at approximately ninety degrees away from the face of the block by a camming action of the tooth 83 on the moving disc 29. As the disc 29 moves in the direction of the arrow, the shred continues to grow in length until it is forced across a cutting device such as a wire 88 depicted in FIG. 7. At this point a segment 89 is cut from the shred 87 and drops in free fall as indicated in FIG. 8. Preferably, the wire 88 is closely adjacent the plain surface 90 of the disc 29, ie that surface of the disc which is opposite the surface having the teeth 83. A scissors action is thus effected between the wire 88 and the plain surface 90 of the disc 29.

A shred 87 being severed from the cheese block 21 continues to grow in length until the scissors action between the adjacent wire 85 and the surface 90 occurs. Thus, if a plurality of wires 88 are spaced apart as depicted in FIG. 8, a length L of the segment 89 is determined by and substantially equal to a distance B between adjacent wires 88.

Turning now to FIGS. 9 and 10, the wires 88 are stretched tightly across a frame 91 to form a harp-like structure, which is the cutter assembly 19. Each wire 88 is tightly drawn over the frame and between two cap screws 93 on opposite sides of the frame. The cap screws may be tightened in and retained by suitable threaded holes (not shown) in the frame 91. A washer 95 under each cap screw 93 provides a pressure surface for retaining tension on each wire 88. The position of a cheese block 21 in the shredder assembly with respect to the cutter assembly 19 is indicated in phantom in FIG. 9. A portion of the circumference of the disc 29 is also indicated in phantom. The outer portions of the shredder disc 29 are supported on rollers 97, which are mounted on suitable brackets 99.

As mentioned previously, the length of each segment 89 is determinable by the distance between adjacent wires. In the illustrated embodiment, the wires are parallel and equally spaced apart and D is approximately 1 inch. All the segments cut are substantially the same length in a production run. If it is desired to produce discrete segments of differing lengths within a production run, the wires may be unequally spaced apart or disposed in an unparallel manner as desired.

If a change in length of segments is desired between production runs, another frame 91 having wires 88 of a different spacing from that of a first given frame 91 may be prepared and ready so that at the conclusion of a first production run a quick change of cutter assemblies 19 can be effected. Preferably then, the frames are interchangeable with each other. Any number of different segment lengths may thus be effected.

Returning now to FIG. 1, the freely falling segments are guided by a chute 101 onto the conveyor 20 moving therebelow. In the instance where a shredder apparatus is used in conjunction with the coating of pizza pie crusts, it may also be desirable to add grated cheese particles to the conveyor line so that both shredded segments of for example mozzarella cheese and grated parmesan cheese are supplied to a coating station downstream of the conveyor 20 simultaneously. For this purpose, a parmesan cheese hopper 103 may be additionally supported on the frame 15 to supply grated parmesan cheese through a vibrating chute to the conveyor 20. The grated cheese may be supplied to the hopper 103 in any suitable manner, such as manually, and the vibrating may be accomplished by means well known in the art. Thus, the conveyor 20 may be provided with more than one type of cheese particle for delivery to another work station, such as a pizza pie crust coating station (not shown).

In the operation of the illustrated shredder apparatus, blocks 21 of, for example, mozzarella cheese are loaded with their long dimension generally upright on the product holder 23, which is inclined both with respect to the vertical and the horizontal. Advantage is taken of gravity, at least in part, both in the holding of the loaded cheese blocks on the product holder 23 and in the automatic feeding of the blocks for shredding.

The cheese blocks are loaded on the product holder 23 in tandem for presentation one at a time into the shredder assembly 18. The blocks tilt from the vertical and lean against a plurality of bars 33 attached to the side plate 31 of the product holder 23. The blocks are supported generally underneath by the inclined roller conveyor 25.

Initially, as the blocks are loaded in tandem on the product holder 23, the stop plate 41 is in an advanced position by the extension of the piston rod 51 during a previous actuation of the cylinder 47. The advanced stop plate 41 holds the tandem group of blocks in a position where the lead block is at the lower edge of the conveyor 25.

Upon initiation of automatic operation, the cylinder 47 is actuated to retract the piston rod 51 and the stop plate 41. This retraction allows the entire tandem line of blocks to move downwardly on the incline, the lead block thus following the retracting plate 41 for movement beyond the end of the conveyor 25. During this movement, the cylinder 45 is actuated to extend the piston rod 49 and advance the side pressure plate 39 to apply pressure to the succeeding block as it moves into alignment with the side pressure plate 39. A pressure sufficient to stop movement and hold the line of blocks 21 is applied by the side pressure plate 39.

The lead block, in following the plate 41 in its retraction is separated by a space from the succeeding blocks and moves beyond the end of the conveyor 25, where it is free to slide by force of gravity against the vertical guides 43, the deflector plate 55, and the edge 59 for alignment into a path of movement at right angles to its former path of movement on the inclined conveyor 25. This new path of movement is directed into a channel 61 between pairs of the opposite feed rolls 53, which cooperate in their direction of rotation to feed the block of cheese downwardly through the channel 61 to the shredder assembly 18. The feed rolls 53 are driven from the geared down drive assembly 67 and the two pairs of rolls are spaced apart a distance slightly less than the depth of the block of cheese so that a pressure is applied against the block by opposing feed rolls to effect movement of the bar into the shredder assembly 18.

As the block of cheese moves downwardly through the shredder assembly 18, the cylinders 45 and 47 are caused to be actuated in a repeating cycle which continues to cause separation of a lead block of cheese from succeeding tandem blocks. A newly isolated block of cheese then follows immediately upon the preceding block through the feed roll assembly 27. When the preceding block moves to the limit of the grip of the feed roll assembly its movement on through the shredder assembly 18 is continued by the force exerted against it by the succeeding block of cheese being fed through the feed roll assembly 27. The automatic sequence of actuation of the cylinders 45 and 47 is under the control of sensors (not shown) which detect the presence or absence, as appropriate, of a block of cheese at a particular point along its path and send signals according to a predetermined sequence of operation. The control devices for this sequence may be any such devices as are well known to one skilled in the art.

In the shredder assembly 18, the block of cheese 21 advancing therethrough approaches the rotating shredder disc 29 which has on one surface thereof groups of the shredder teeth 83 radially disposed thereon. Each group of teeth severs a complete layer of an adjacent face of the cheese block 21 into discrete shreds 87. A plurality of cutting devices, such as the wires 88, are disposed immediately adjacent the other or plain surface 90 of the rotating disc 29. The opening 85 through the shredder disc adjacent each shredder tooth 83 permits the shred 87 being severed to pass therethrough until a fixed wire 88 is encountered by the shred. A scissors action occurs between the fixed wire 88 and the plain surface 90 of the rotating disc 29, and a segment 89 is cut from the shred 87.

The cross-sectional dimensions of the shred 87 are determined by the width of each tooth and the height of the tooth above the toothed surface of the disc. The length of the segment 89 cut from the shred 87 is determined by the distance between the adjacent wires 88. Thus, the dimensions of the segments 89, or the dis crete particles of mozzarella cheese in the illustrated embodiment are predeterminable and are subject to the width and the height of the shredder teeth and the distance between adjacent cutter wires.

It will be noted that in the operation of the illustrated embodiment, there is no inherent interruption of the production of discrete segments or particles of cheese during a production run. After the segments are cut they freely fall and are directed by the chute 101 onto the moving conveyor 20. The particles of cheese are then carried away to a downstream work station, such as a pizza crust coating station.

A different type of cheese particle, such as grated parmesan cheese, may also be applied to the moving conveyor so that the conveyor carries a plurality of cheese types to the downstream work station. Such is provided in the illustrated embodiment by the parmesan cheese hopper 103. The particles of cheese are delivered to the conveyor 20 through the vibrating chute 105.

As long as the supplies of cheese are timely replenished on the apparatus of the illustrated embodiment the production of cheese particles by the aforementioned apparatus continues without interruption. For this continuous operation, new blocks of cheese are added at the rear of the tandem group on the product holder 23 and a replenished supply of parmesan cheese is provided in the hopper 103 before their respective supplies are depleted.

it should be apparent from the foregoing description that the specific structure of the present apparatus may be modified without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention. For example, the product unit to be shredded may be of different dimensions, and if so the apparatus is appropriately dimensioned to accomodate the product unit.

For another example, the shredder teeth 83 may have a different form, as where a single long tooth with depending partitions and a continuous slot adjacent thereto severs a complete layer of a cheese block into discrete shreds of cheese.

For still other examples, a timing belt with suitable pulleys may be used in place of the sprockets 63 and the drive chain 65 of the drive assembly 67, and a power conveyor may be utilized to supply the product units from a remote source rather than hold a reserve supply on the product holder 23 and the product conveyor 25. In this latter instance, the movement of the power conveyor could be intermittent to coordinate with the operation of the cylinders 45 and 47. Other examples are suggested in the foregoing description of the present apparatus.

Two specific alternative embodiments of portions of the present invention are shown in FIGS. 11 and 12. In FIG. 11, there is shown an alternative to the feed roll assembly 27 wherein the feed rolls 53 and the feed roll channel 61 through which the cheese block 21 is fed, as seen in FIG. 1, is replaced by a pair of opposed slat chain belts 107 driven on sprockets 109 that define a channel 111 between the slat chain belts 107 in a manner similar to that of the channel 61. A plurality of dogs 113 extend normal to the slat chain belts and serve to engage the adjacent surfaces of the cheese block 21 and drive the block through the channel 111. These dogs 113 may take the form of short spikes mounted on the individual slats of the chain belt, or they may take the form of bent edges of the individual slats. Other suitable forms of the dogs may be utilized that also would serve to engage the surfaces of the cheese block and cause it to move in conjunction with the slat chain belts, thus feeding the cheese block into the rotating shredder 29.

Still another alternative to the feed roll assembly 27 is shown in FIG. 12 wherein a ram, generally indicated by the reference numeral 115 is utilized to apply a driving force to the cheese block 21 to feed it into the shredder disc 29. The illustrated ram 115 includes a cylinder 117, a rod 119, and a pusher plate 121. The cylinder 117 could be suitably interconnected with the system (not shown), such as an hydraulic or pneumatic system, of the present invention. The control of the ram is coordinated within the system to extend and retract the pusher plate 121 in timed relationship with the feeding of the cheese blocks. A four-sided guide 123 serves to define a channel 125 through which the cheese block 21 is directed prior to its engagement by the shredder disc 29. The channel 125 thus defined by the guide 123 is in substantially the same location as the previously mentioned channels 61 and 111. The guide 123 is dimensioned with respect to the cheese block 21 so as to fit loosely around the block. Such a loose fit affords a freedom for the block to move through the guide and yet controls any bulging of the cheese block under the pressure of the ram 115. Accordingly, the guide 123 restrains the cheese block on all four sides of the block.

Although the present invention is susceptible to various modifications and alternative constructions, only a preferred embodiment has been shown in the drawings and described in detail. Such disclosure is not intended to limit the invention. The aim is to cover all modifications and alternative constructions and methods falling within the spirit and scope of the invention as expressed in the appended claims.

Various features of the invention are set forth in the following claims.

What is claimed is:

1. Apparatus for shredding material in the form of rectangular blocks into discrete particles, comprising means for holding a plurality of said blocks in tandem with each other and with the long dimension of the blocks generally inclined from the vertical, a rotatable disc disposed in a plane generally inclined from the horizontal, said disc having shredder teeth on one surface thereof, the opposing surface being plain, an opening through the disc adjacent the teeth, said disc being disposed adjacent said holding means with the toothed face directed toward said holding means, means intermediate said holding means and said disc for continuously feeding an uninterrupted succession of single blocks of said material onto the toothed surface of said disc when said disc is rotating, means intermediate said holding means and said feeding means for automatically separating one block of said material at a time from those in tandem adjacent it on said holding means so that said separated block is free to be engaged by said feeding means, and fixed cutter means adjacent the plain surface of said disc disposed generally opposite said holding means.

2. The apparatus in accordance with claim 1, wherein said holding means is inclined with respect to the horizontal and comprises a roller conveyor whereby any blocks of cheese thereon move toward the lower end thereof by gravity; wherein said separating means is disposed adjacent the lower end of said inclined roller conveyor and comprises a plurality of cylinders with piston rods therein actuated in an automatically controlled sequence to permit advance of one block while holding back any adjacent blocks in tandem therewith on said roller conveyor; and wherein said feeding means is disposed adjacent both the lower end of said inclined roller conveyor and said cylinders.

3. The apparatus in accordance with claim 2, wherein said feeding means comprises two opposing pairs of feed rolls, the opposed pairs defining a channel therebetween and being separated by a distance such that the shortest dimension between opposing roll surfaces is slightly less than one of the dimensions of the rectangular blocks of cheese. said feed rolls being driven in a manner such that the rolls in each of said pairs rotate together and in the same direction, the direction of rotation of one pair being opposed to that of the other, the opposing pairs cooperating to engage said blocks of cheese individually and to feed each block through said defined channel. the directions of rotation being such that their combined effect moves each block through the channel toward the toothed surface of said disc.

4. The apparatus in accordance with claim 2, wherein said feeding means comprises a pair of opposing slat chain belts. the opposed belts defining a channel therebetween and being separated by a distance substan tially equal to one of the dimensions of the rectangular blocks of cheese, said feeding means further comprising a plurality of dogs on each of said belts to engage each block of cheese as it enters said defined channel, said belts being driven to move in conjunction with each other in a common direction so as to feed each cheese block through said channel toward the toothed surface of said disc.

5. The apparatus in accordance with claim 2, wherein said feeding means comprises a ram and a guide, said guide defining a channel through which each block of cheese passes and said ram being controlled in timed relation with the feeding of said blocks of cheese and disposed in relation to said guide to apply a feeding force to each block of cheese through said channel toward toothed surface of said disc, said guide being dimensioned to afford free passage of said cheese blocks therethrough while restraining said blocks on all four sides from bulging under the pressure of said ram.

6. The apparatus in accordance with claim I, wherein said shredder teeth and adjacent openings are disposed with the teeth substantially abreast of one another along at least one radial line of said rotatable disc.

7. The apparatus in accordance with claim 1, wherein said cutter means comprises a rectangular frame having a wire stretched tightly across the space between an opposing pair of side members of said frame, said cutter means being disposed such that said wire is immediately adjacent the plain surface of said disc.

8. The apparatus in accordance with claim 1 wherein said cutter means comprises a rectangular frame having a plurality of spaced apart wires stretched tightly across the space between a pair of opposing side members of said frame, said cutter means being disposed such that said wires are immediately adjacent the plain surface of said disc.

a: a: a: 

1. Apparatus for shredding material in the form of rectangular blocks into discrete particles, comprising means for holding a plurality of said blocks in tandem with each other and with the long dimension of the blocks generally inclined from the vertical, a rotatable disc disposed in a plane generally inclined from the horizontal, said disc having shredder teeth on one surface thereof, the opposing surface being plain, an opening through the disc adjacent the teeth, said disc being disposed adjacent said holding means with the toothed face directed toward said holding means, means intermediate said holding means and said disc for continuously feeding an uninterrupted succession of single blocks of said material onto the toothed surface of said disc when said disc is rotating, means intermediate said holding means and said feeding means for automatically separating one block of said material at a time from those in tandem adjacent it on said holding means so that said separated block is free to be engaged by said feeding means, and fixed cutter means adjacent the plain surface of said disc disposed generally opposite said holding means.
 2. The apparatus in accordance with claim 1, wherein said holding means is inclined with respect to the horizontal and comprises a roller conveyor whereby any blocks of cheese thereon move toward the lower end thereof by gravity; wherein said separating means is disposed adjacent the lower end of said inclined roller conveyor and comprises a plurality of cylinders with piston rods therein actuated in an automatically controlled sequence to permit advance of one block while holding back any adjacent blocks in tandem therewith on said roller conveyor; and wherein said feeding means is disposed adjacent both the lower end of said inclined roller conveyor and said cylinders.
 3. The apparatus in accordance with claim 2, wherein said feeding means comprises two opposing pairs of feed rolls, the opposed pairs defining a channel therebetween and being separated by a distance such that the shortest dimension between opposing roll surfaces is slightly less than one of the dimensions of the rectangular blocks of cheese, said feed rolls being driven in a manner such that the rolls in each of said pairs rotate together and in the same direction, the direction of rotation of one pair being opposed to that of the other, the opposing pairs cooperating to engage said blocks of cheese individually and to feed each block through said defined channel, the directions of rotation being such that their combined effect moves each block through the channel toward the toothed surface of said disc.
 4. The apparatus in accordance with claim 2, wherein said feeding means comprises a pair of opposing slat chain belts, the opposed belts defining a channel therebetween and being separated by a distance substantially equal to one of the dimensions of the rectangular blocks of cheese, said feeding means further comprising a plurality of dogs on each of said belts to engage each block of cheese as it enters said defined channel, said belts being driven to move in conjunction with each other in a common direction so as to feed each cheese block through said channel toward the toothed surface of said disc.
 5. The apparatus in accordance with claim 2, wherein said feEding means comprises a ram and a guide, said guide defining a channel through which each block of cheese passes and said ram being controlled in timed relation with the feeding of said blocks of cheese and disposed in relation to said guide to apply a feeding force to each block of cheese through said channel toward toothed surface of said disc, said guide being dimensioned to afford free passage of said cheese blocks therethrough while restraining said blocks on all four sides from bulging under the pressure of said ram.
 6. The apparatus in accordance with claim 1, wherein said shredder teeth and adjacent openings are disposed with the teeth substantially abreast of one another along at least one radial line of said rotatable disc.
 7. The apparatus in accordance with claim 1, wherein said cutter means comprises a rectangular frame having a wire stretched tightly across the space between an opposing pair of side members of said frame, said cutter means being disposed such that said wire is immediately adjacent the plain surface of said disc.
 8. The apparatus in accordance with claim 1 wherein said cutter means comprises a rectangular frame having a plurality of spaced apart wires stretched tightly across the space between a pair of opposing side members of said frame, said cutter means being disposed such that said wires are immediately adjacent the plain surface of said disc. 